 Family Travel Files Ezine Family Vacations Resource |
Virginia: Virginia Beach, Whale Watching - A Family Winter Vacation Adventure. The Atlantic Coastal waters just off the Chesapeake Bay provide a comfortable wintering home for hundreds of humpback and fin whales. Their annual appearance provides an excellent field trip opportunity. What better place to show your kids nature at its best? Grab you sweatshirts and old sneakers and head for the beach.
It's a whale! Imagine sailing on the water where Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic. You and your feel the crisp ocean breeze and watch the warm tones of the sun blanket the sky. In the distance, you see a massive, majestic creature emerge from the water. A jet of water sprays a mile high. It’s a whale! Fin and humpback whales captivate visitors during 2-hour boat tours; winter vacation packages promise an adventure for the entire family.
This winter, Virginia Beach again welcomes the mysterious creatures of the sea—fin and humpback whales. Starting in December, these mammals journey to the food-rich mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean for their annual retreat. Weighing up to 40 tons and ranging up to 52 feet long, humpback whales have made their trip along the shores of Virginia Beach for more than a decade. Fin whales, known as the second largest animal on the planet after the blue whale, roam the Virginia Beach coast, ranging up to 85 feet long and weighing up to 70 tons.
Each year from late December through mid March, Virginia Beach offers visitors the rare opportunity to spot these magnificent creatures up close on a whale watching boat tour. Regular priced boat trips are about $25 for adults and $23 for children ages 11 or younger. For discounted pricing, whale watching vacation packages are available, starting at $84 per person and are based on double occupancy.
Family adventure value packages. Generally the whale watching adventures include three days, two nights accommodations (breakfast included at some hotels) and admission aboard a 2 – 2 ½ hour whale watching boat trip. The packages also include admission to the Virginia Aquarium and its 3-D IMAX® Theater making it an incredible value for an extraordinary adventure. Actual package prices vary depending on the property selected, and group rates are available.
Live the beach life this winter season, and meet these mystifying creatures. For more information, call the Virginia Beach Whale Hotline toll-free at 1-866-59-WHALE (866-599-4253), or visit www.vbfun.com for online trip planning.
Add to the fun. The perfect addition to a whale watching adventure is a visit to the world class Virginia Marine Science Center where exploring the marine environments is a tactile thrill. A visit will take the greater part of a day. There are two separate sections and plenty of activities in between. The Atlantic Ocean Pavilion and Main Building contain the 300,000-gallon Norfolk Canyon Aquarium. There is also a 70,000-gallon sea turtle aquarium and a sea turtle hatchling laboratory. One of the most popular touch tanks allows visitors to pet a ray. A short walk through a partially shaded pathway connects visitors with the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion where life in a salt marsh is showcased. Exhibits include aquariums and terrariums featuring river otters, seahorses, and fiddler crabs. A thrill for kids is the macro-marsh section where animals and plants are ten times larger than their normal size. Bonus points: The museum is a launch pad for a wide variety of learning excursions which include boat trips with wet lab experiences. (Virginia Marine Science Center 717 General Booth Boulevard, Virginia Beach, 23451. 1(757) 441-2374, 1(757) 427-4305 or www.vmsm.com)
Location on the planet. Anchored in the southeastern corner of the state where Virginia meets the sea, Virginia Beach is four hours by car southeast of Washington, D.C. and within a day’s drive or less from one-third of the U.S. population. Make it happen. Log on to the website and order a free vacation catalog or go paper-free with the online trip planner. To speak to a Virginia Beach vacation expert call toll-free 1-800-VA-BEACH (822-3224) or checkout www.visitvirginiabeach.com
Virginia: Virginia Beach, Meet Harbor Seals at the Virginia Aquarium. Ready to get your feet wet? The largest Aquarium in Virginia now offers two harbor seal encounter programs. Peter, Piper, Phoca, Pongo and Norton, the harbor seals at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, invite you to step into their watery world. During the “Harbor Seal Splash” program, visitors climb into the seals’ aquarium to interact and train with these 250-pound pinnipeds, while discovering more about the natural history and conservation efforts that surround harbor seals.
The Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach offers this one-of-a-kind, two-hour program. Visitors step down onto submerged rocks in the seal habitat, as the seals splash through the water with their trainer. The Harbor Seal Splash program is conducted in a safe, controlled environment endorsed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and facilitated by a qualified Virginia Aquarium harbor seal trainer.
“By allowing the public to interact directly with the seals, we hope to create a stimulating learning environment where participants appreciate the seals’ entire existence—their natural habitat, history and preservation of the species,” said Chip Harshaw, curator of mammals. On the Harbor Seal Splash tour, visitors will catch an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the internal operations at the Aquarium that focus on the care of the harbor seals. Stops along the way include the water-quality lab, the workshop where exhibits are constructed, the food preparation area for the animals, an over-the-top unique view of the Chesapeake Bay Aquarium and more. The tour includes a venture into the seals’ indoor holding facility to participate in a training session. From there, visitors don their waders and step into the water with the seals. Visitors won’t be swimming with the seals, but will touch them and assist with their training sessions.
Due to the popularity of the Harbor Seal Splash program, the Aquarium is also launching a new seal experience to accommodate a wider range of Aquarium guests. Seals Behind the Scenes is a one-hour program allowing guests as young as age three to venture into the restricted harbor seal holding building to meet some of the educators, professional animal training staff – and, of course, a seal or two. Participants will learn about the natural history of seals and the animal training techniques. Harbor Seal Splash will be offered from April through October. The age requirement for the Harbor Seal Splash is 8 years. Guests 13 and younger must be accompanied by a participating adult. Harbor Seal Splash costs $110 for Aquarium members and $125 for non-members. The program includes admission to the Aquarium and d
iscounts at the IMAX® 3D Theater, Osprey Café and two Aquarium stores. When you’re looking for a fun, unique gift idea, the Harbor Seal Splash is ideal, as gift certificates are available. Reservations are required. Call the Aquarium’s Guest Services at (757) 385-0300. Seals Behind the Scenes is offered from the end of May to the beginning of September. The sessions are Tuesdays and Thursdays with a maximum of 10 participants per session. Cost is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Seals Behind the Scenes does have some requirements, so please contact the Aquarium’s Guest Services office at (757) 385-0300 for details on signing up for this unique adventure.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is an accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. It is an authority on the state's aquatic and marine environments featuring more than 700,000 gallons of aquariums and live animal habitats, plus hundreds of hands-on exhibits. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with extended summer hours to 7 p.m., the Aquarium is located at 717 General Booth Boulevard in Virginia Beach. For more information, call 1(757) 425-FISH or click on www.VirginiaAquarium.com Location on the planet. Anchored in the southeastern corner of the state where Virginia meets the sea, Virginia Beach is four hours by car southeast of Washington, D.C. and within a day’s drive or less from one-third of the U.S. population.Make it happen. Log on to the website and order a free vacation catalog or go paper-free with the online trip planner. To speak to a Virginia Beach vacation expert call toll-free 1-800-VA-BEACH (822-3224) or checkout www.visitvirginiabeach.com
Content researched and created by FamilyTravelFiles staff and images provided by Virginia Beach CVB. Updated copyright 2011.
|
